And if you are lucky enough to see an octopus — there's maybe one sighting per summer at Carkeek, and Johnson said it would be "blow-away fantastic" to come across one — don't go too close. The octopus bites with poisonous venom.

If a beachcomber is bitten by it, the best treatment is to scald the wound in water as hot as you can stand. "Go to the nearest Starbucks," Johnson said. "A second-degree burn is much better than an octopus bite."